Yolo Basin Foundation raises Bucks for Ducks

Yolo Basin Foundation will hold its annual fundraiser, Bucks for Ducks, from 5:30 to 9 p.m. Friday, Nov. 15, at Freeborn Hall on the UC Davis campus. Jay Lund, director of the Center for Watershed Sciences at UCD, will be the guest speaker.

This gala fundraising evening features an exhibit titled “Art and Photography of the Bypass and Beyond: A Celebration of Central Valley Nature and Agriculture.” The show includes a juried photography exhibit of 70 images taken by local photographers and 40 artworks created by area artists.

The art and photography will be available to purchase at Bucks for Ducks through a silent auction. A link to view the photos and the art is on the Yolo Basin Foundation website, www.yolobasin.org.

The evening includes dinner from The Buckhorn along with a live auction featuring 20 items, called by auctioneer Joe Gates. Among the items up for bids are a day in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta with Jeff Mount aboard his boat “Tugnacious” as well as photography and art, like the Mata Ortiz pot donated by DeLuna Jewelers, plus a variety of sports tickets.

There will be a raffle with more than 30 prizes, and the grand prize is a mountain bike donated by Freewheeler in Davis and a certificate for a private bike ride with the Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area Manager Jeff Stoddard.

Tickets for the “Gaggle of Gatherings” — a series of parties and adventures where guests may purchase single, set-priced tickets — also will be available at Bucks for Ducks. Among the 10 activities are an evening all about beer with Charlie Bamforth, professor of brewing sciences at UC Davis; “Rice from Field to Table,” a field trip led by local land manager John Brennan; and a photography workshop with renowned nature photographer Lewis Kemper.

All the gatherings are described on the Yolo Basin Foundation website, and tickets not sold at Bucks for Ducks will be available for purchase online after the event.

The cost to attend Bucks for Ducks is $60 per person and includes parking. Tickets may be purchased at www.yolobasin.org or by calling 530-757-3780. A full listing of live auction items, raffle prizes, and information on the Gaggle of Gatherings also can be found on the website.

All proceeds from Bucks for Ducks will be used to support the wetlands education programs of the nonprofit foundation.